PremiumMr. Bachchan Review: Ravi Teja is the saving grace of this routine action drama
Mr. Bachchan Review: The Ravi Teja -starrer has a solid first half but the second half ends on a disappointing note.
Mr Bachchan review
Last Updated: 12.50 PM, Aug 15, 2024
Mr.Bachchan Story
Mr. Bachchan (Ravi Teja) is a sincere Income Tax officer who gets suspended for being too honest. Left with no choice, he goes back to his village and enjoys his time with his family and friends. During the same time, he falls in love with Jikki (Bhagyashri Borse) and makes plans for his wedding. Four days ahead of his wedding, Bachchan's suspension is revoked, and he is called back on duty to raid a powerful politician named Mutyam Jaggaiah (Jagapathi Babu). The rest of the story is about how a small IT officer takes on a powerful politician with a criminal background.
Mr. Bachchan Review
For starters, Mr. Bachchan is the official remake of the Hindi hit Raid. Harish Shankar has made a lot of changes and added entertainment in the first half. Harish starts the film on a very interesting note and showcases the love story between Ravi Teja and Bhagyashri in a very impressive manner. The songs, comedy scenes, and chemistry between the lead pair are superb, and keep the audience engaged during the first half.
Satya's comedy and the manner in which the old Hindi songs are used to narrate the love story are superb. But one gets a feeling that the usage of Telugu songs would have created more of an impact. Harish Shankar scores heavily in this department and proves that he is a pro when it comes to remaking films. He also brings the IT raid aspect in a very interesting manner, and the interval block is solid and sets up for a racy second half. But once the second half starts, things go for a toss.
The IT raid scenes are showcased well initially, but after a point, they become redundant and do not take the story forward. The hero-villain scenes are hardly entertaining. Harish Shankar decided to add humor in the second half by bringing in a few comedians. But that fails big time as the comedy evoked by Chammak Chandra is cringe-worthy and takes away the seriousness.
As the film is set up in the backdrop of a raid, Harish Shankar does not have much to play with. Jagapathi Babu plays the main villain, and is so over the top in his role and is a miscast in his character. He is showcased as a powerful man at the beginning of the film, and, at a point, he even meets the PM to stop the raid, and still, things do not stop even after the PM tells his team to stop the procedure. This is one of the biggest lows of the film.
Harish has taken so many cinematic liberties, and most of them do not click one bit. The entire Annapurna episode is bad and derails the seriousness of the film. Harish tries to narrate Mr. Bachchan in a funny manner and to do so; he messes up the second half. The climax is predictable and does not showcase anything new, ending the film on a very dull note. When it comes to novelty, there is nothing new that the film showcases.
As it is a period drama, the scenes in the second half look pathetic and do not create any impact. One of the biggest saviors of the film is the music by Mickey J Meyer. All the songs composed are superb and have also been shot on impressively.
Coming to the performances, Ravi Teja has given a settled performance. He is super active in the first half, brings back the vintage Ravi Teja, and entertains his fans. He becomes serious in the second half and packs a punch with his dialogue. But as the narration is weak, he, too, cannot do much to save the film.
One of the major assets of the film is Bhagyshri Borse, who makes a striking debut. She is beautiful, has a terrific screen presence, and also acts well. There is something special about her that the commercial heroine tag fits to the T. In the days to come, Bhagyashri will be an actress to watch out for. Jagapathi Babu is getting repetitive and hams like there is no tomorrow.
Sachin Khedekar is neat in his role and so was Satya with his comedy. Mickey J Meyer impresses us with his mass score and if the film deserves a watch, it should be for the solid songs. The camerawork showcasing the period drama is just about okay. The production design is neat, and the dialogues by Harish Shankar are top-notch.
The screenplay is a huge letdown, as there is no spice in the second half. The raid scenes take forever to register, and the ones that do lack novelty. In a way, Harish Shankar, who is known to remake films in a superb manner, has faltered this time and spoils a very engaging storyline by adding unnecessary scenes and dull conflict.
Mr. Bachchan Verdict
On the whole, Mr. Bachchan is a half-baked commercial entertainer which clicks only in the first half. The second half is a huge letdown and takes the film down. However, if you are a fan of commercial cinema, Mr. Bachchan can be given a shot for the amazing songs and a few comedy scenes. The rest is ordinary.